Fury, Fists Over Funeral Arrangements

Christian funeral ceremonies are often seen as taboo in parts of South Asia.

Haniya Pradhan stood her ground—her husband would have a Christian funeral no matter what threats his relatives threw at her. She would make sure he was honored during the ceremony.

Haniya’s husband, Rasul, died after a heavy-loaded truck hit him, killing him on the spot. He had been traveling for work as a daily laborer.

When his body was delivered to his home village, Rasul’s relatives immediately stirred up trouble, saying the funeral had to be conducted according to their religious customs. But Haniya said “no” to their demands and had the funeral ceremony performed by Gospel for Asia-supported pastor Kamukh Madavi, who serves in the area.

Ten days after the funeral, a prayer service took place for the bereaved family, which is the regular custom after a person dies. Rasul’s relatives, yet again, caused a commotion, wanting a priest from their traditional religion to conduct the prayers. But Haniya refused and asked Pastor Kamukh to be the one to say the prayers during the service.

This enraged Rasul’s relatives. The night after the prayer service, they went to Pastor Kamukh’s house and beat him—even harming his wife and three children. They left him bleeding and bruised. Pastor Kamukh went to a hospital where doctors treated his injuries, and then they released him. He went to the police station the morning after and reported the incident to the officials. The police responded positively, saying they would take necessary action to protect him and his family from further attacks.

Pastor Kamukh requests prayer for his healing and for Haniya’s family to stand firm in their faith in Jesus. He also asks for prayers for those who harmed him, that they will open their hearts to the true God.